LEWISTON, Maine -- Senior captain Sydney Byrnes clinched the match at No. 6 singles and the Bates women's tennis team earned the program's first trip to the NESCAC tournament with a 5-4 win over Hamilton Sunday afternoon at the Wallach Tennis Center.

The Bobcats (6-10, 3-7 NESCAC) and Hamilton (7-8, 2-8 NESCAC) were playing Sunday for the final spot in the eight-team conference championship field. Bates prevailed and will play top seed Wesleyan Friday at 1pm in the quarterfinals.

Byrnes (Aix-en-Provence, France) had a huge final home match as a Bobcat, teaming with junior Laura Littlefield (Ellicott City, Md.) at No. 3 doubles to win 8-2 over Hamilton's Claire Cutler and Kate Solowey. 

Bates dominated doubles play to take the early 3-0 advantage. At the top of the ladder, senior captain Anna Rozin (Toronto, Ontario) teamed with sophomore Ally Friedman (East Hampton, N.Y.) to defeat Kat Roberts and Hannah Apsey by a count of 8-4. Junior Joanna Atwater (Short Hills, N.J.) and sophomore Salma Alsikafi (Lake Bluff, Illinois) also won by a count of 8-4, defeating Hamilton's Stephanie Pratt and Lauren Holtzman No. 2 doubles.

Atwater followed up her win in doubles with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Cutler at No. 2 singles. Then Byrnes clinched the playoff berth for the Bobcats with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Solowey at No. 6 singles.

Sunday's victory for Bates is the first NESCAC home match for the women's tennis team to be decided by a final score of 5-4 since 2016. 

Bates 5, Hamilton 4
May 1, 2022 at Lewiston, Maine

Doubles
1. Anna Rozin/Ally Friedman (Bates) def. Kat Roberts/Hannah Apsey (Hamilton) 8-4
2. Joanna Atwater/Salma Alsikafi (Bates) def. Stephanie Pratt/Lauren Holtzman (Hamilton) 8-4
3. Sydney Byrnes/Laura Littlefield (Bates) def. Claire Cutler/Kate Solowey (Hamilton) 8-2

Singles
1. Apsey (Hamilton) def. Rozin (Bates) 6-4, 4-6, 10-5
2. Atwater (Bates) def. Cutler (Hamilton) 6-3, 6-1
3. Pratt (Hamilton) def. Friedman (Bates) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
4. Roberts (Hamilton) def. Alexandra D'Aquino (Bates) 6-3, 6-7 (3), 10-1
5. Shannon Cicero (Hamilton) def. Littlefield (Bates) 5-7, 6-4, 10-8
6. Byrnes (Bates) def. Solowey (Hamilton) 6-2, 7-5